Aqueous dispersion



Patented Apr. 10, 1945 AQUEOUS DISPERSION Andrew Szegvari, ,Fairlawn. and Adrian H.

Feikert, Wadsworth, Ohio, assignors to American Anode, Inc., Akron, Ohio, a corporation oi- Delaware No Drawing. Original application March 23,

1940, SeriaLNo. 325,652. Divided and this application July 4, 1944, Serial No. 543,489

12 Claims.

'This invention relates to a method of treating a wide variety of fibrous materials including fibers in unfabricated as well as fabricated form in order to produce fibrous articles and products exhibiting to a high degree certain desired properties of long life. wear resistance and resistance to a variety of other factors and influences involved in the usual service of the various articles .and products. The invention also contemplates the treated fibrous products obtained by practicpolyisobutylene.

ing the method. More particularly, the invention involves the application to fibrous material of a coating deposit of the solids from an aqueous dispersion of polyisobutylene or similar material preferablyin admixture with certain other materials for modifying the characteristics of the The invention is especially concerned with the treatment of fibrous materials with aqueous dispersions of certain tough, elastic and permanently resilient, high-molecular weight polymers of isobutylene and analogous olefins.

There are now availableon the market in this country under the trade-name Vistanex certain permanently resilient parafllnic materials prepared by polymerizing olefins of low molecular weight. Since materials have also been sold under other trade-names including Vispronal" and Viskanol. Only meager information concerning these commercial products has been made public. but it is understood that they are prepared by polymerizing certain vapor fractions produced in cracking petroleum to make cracked gasoline.

- Thus, it appears that fractions containing conpolymers now being supplied commercially are believed to consist very largely of polymerized isobutylene.

Such polymers are produced with widely varying average molecular weights and correspondingly widely varying physicalproperties. The polymers in the lower range of average molecular weights extending from around 800 up to the region of average molecular weights of from 25,000 to 30,000 are liquid or liquid-likein nature. The higher polymers having average molecular weights in the range extending from the region of 25,000 to 30,000 up to 100,000 or 200,000or'even 500,000 are quite different in many physical properties and are permanently resilient solids as distinguished from the liquid and liquid-like polymers in the lower range of average molecular weights. In U. S. Patent No. 2,138,895 assigned to the manufacturers in this country of Vistanex," the term plastic is applied to the lower range of liquid-like polymers while, in contradistinction, the term elastic is applied to the resilient polymers in the higher range of average molecular weights.

The liquid and liquid-like plastic polymers in the lower molecular weight range may be dispersed directly in water by commonly used methods of dispersing (emulsifying) insoluble liquid materials in water. On the contrary, it is difficult to prepare a satisfactory dispersion of the higher molecular weight polymers because of their permanently resilient, and non-plastic nature. However, in certain other patent applications, hereinafter identified, we have described methods by which the resilient solid polymers may be dispersed directly in water to produce excellent colloidal dispersions. Reference is here made to the other applications for details of the dispersing procedures but it may be noted that one of the preferred procedures involves the use of a conjunctive material such as a rubber (which is understood to include both natural and synthetic rubber and rubber-type materials, including specifically natural crude rubber. rubbers in the form of latex and artificial dispersions, re-

claimed rubbers, butadiene rubbers, and polychloroprene, as well asgutta percha and balata), ester gum, asphalt, rubber derivatives prepared by treating rubber with sulfonic acids, rubber degradation products obtained by dry distilling rubber and including both the volatile oils and the solid residues so produced, chlorinated diphenyl, chlorinated naphthalene, rosin, poly-ethylene dihalides such as the commercial product A. X. F. and like materials. All these materials may themselves be artificially dispersed in water and all of them are'compatibleand capable of being homogeneously blended with the hydrocarbon polymerization products being dispersed. For the sake of brevity, they have been termed conjunctive" materials as they are now believed to function at least in part to promote a union between the more in ert polymerized solid hydrocarbon and the dispersing agents and/ or to promote a proper phase relationship favorable to inversion. Such conjunctive materials are mixed with the resilient polymers and the mixture is dispersed so that the conjunctive material appears 5 with the polymer in the dispersed solid particles. The polymer is present in the dispersed particles in a resilient solid state.

We have found that such dispersions of resilient, solid polyisobutylene and similar materials 1 preferably in admixture with one or more conjunctive materials are especially useful for treating a wide variety of fibrous materials.

Such dispersions have been mixed in quantities varying from 3% to 50% with paper "pulp to pro- 1 hose.

duce paper greatly improved in strength and flexibility as well as in resistance to water and chem'-' icals. Somewhat similarly the dispersions have been mixed with comminuted leather fibers or cotton orother fibers and formed into a sheet and dried to make artificial leather surpassing prior products in resistance to water permeation, strength and flexibility. Textile fabrics of various kinds have been water-proofed and gasproofed with such dis- Z5 persions of poly'isobutylene. Balloon fabric impregnated with such a dispersion and dried exhibits exceptional strength and low permeability to gases. Leather goods in general, and conveyor and transmission belts of both leather and fabric,

are improved by treatment with the dispersions. A mass of glass wool insuitable form impregnated with such a dispersion of. polyisobutylene provides an efficient filter for air-conditioning systems and especially for filtering corrosive liq- 3 uids or gases. Woven glass textile tapes impregnated with the dispersions are especially useful for heat-resistant gaskets and as protective coatings for plating racks used in chromium and other plating baths. The dispersions are also valuble 'for treating clothing to be worn for protection against toxic gases and corrosive chemicals.

Emulsions or dispersions of the liquid-like polymers ofisobutylene and also dispersions of the resilient polymers prepared without the use of conjunctive agents are satisfactory to some degree in practically all the foregoingapplications, and, in some cases, are equally as satisfactory as the dispersions containing conjunctive materials. Generally, however, the dispersions of resilient solid polymers associated with conjunctive materials are definitely superior for treating fibrous materials and are preferred for most uses in that field.

Aqueous dispersions of polyisobutylene of the character described have thus far found their widest application in the treatment of women's silk and synthetic silk or rayon hosiery for the purpose of improving the life and wear characteristics of the hose. Many treatments for this purpose have been suggested from time to time, including treatments with rubber, with rubber derivatives, and with a variety of difierentnatural and synthetic resins in many different forms and 5 including an equally wide variety of processes and conditions for applying the treating materials to the hose. Insofar as applicants are aware, however, none of the many prior-processes has been used commercially to any substantial extent. The reason is apparent. are quite sheer and flimsy and a satisfactory treatment should strengthen or reenforce the hose and the constituent'yarns sufficiently to provide reasonably long life and, especially, to provide added resistance to snagging and resultant run- 75 .ning or laddering of the knitted fabric. same time, the treatment must not stiffen the hose to any substantial degree, must not alter Silk hose and the like At the the natural silky feel unduly, and must not. impart any undesirable odor .to the hose nor impair their appearance. These requirements are to some extent seemingly mutually inconsistent and contradictory andno material or treating process has heretofore been suggested or devised which satisfactorily meets all the requirements. Resins generally tend to stiffen the hose and attempts at plasticization have not been effective in relieving such stiffness. Rubber, while sumciently flexible, involves undesirable odors and surface characteristics imparting an undesirable feel to the Other materials which have been proposed present similar undesirable features.

We have found that silk and other sheer hosiery may be treated with aqueous dispersions of the high molecular weight resilient, solid polymers of isobutylene, preferably in association with a conjuctive material of the character here-.

inabove described, and that the treated hose exhibit exceptional flexibilityfexcellent resistance to snagging, tearing, running and laddering, unually long life, and good resistance to repeated washings. Also,the treated hose are satisfactorily free of objectionable odors and undesirable surface characteristics such as tackiness. It has further been found that especially satisfactory reenforcement and surface characteristicsare obtained if the treating dispersion also contains a tack-destroying material of a resinous nature such as a phenolic resin, shellac, ora copolymer of butadiene and acrylic nitrile such as the commercial product Perbunanf? Such tack-destroying resins preferably are incorporated in the treating dispersion in quantities varying from 5% to 25% by Weight.

intreating-silk hosiery according to the present invention appear to result in part from the modifylng efiects of added materials, especially the conjunctive materials and the tack-destroying materials, and ln part from proper physical application of the treating material which involves a number of procedural details apparently contributingvaluably to the successful end result. It accordingly appears that the invention may best be understood by considering a specific, de-.

tained description of a preferred embodiment of the invention. The following detailed description is therefore to be taken as illustrative and not limitative of the invention.

Best results are attained if the hose are treated after they have been boiledo in the manufacturing procedure and before they are dyed, although satisfactory results may be obtained by treating dyed hose provided the dye used is of 0 such nature that the present treatment will not spot, discolor or otherwise interfere with the dye. The boiled off but undyed hose are first in:- mersed in a bath of introfying solution preferably containing at least one saponaceous material and an alkaline material. An especially satisfactory introfying solution may be prepared by adding to water the following quantities of materials for each gallon of water: 25 c. c. of 20% potassium oleate solution, 20 c. c. of a 15% solution of the commercial product known as Immersol TX, 15 c. c. of the synthetic saponaceous material sold as Aquarex D,and 5 c. c. of 28% ammonium hydroxide solution. The soaps and. ammonium hydroxide, of course, may be replaced by other wellknown soaps and alkaline materials or other introiiers. "After about. three minutes immersion,

the hose are removed from the bath and excess introfying solution is removed as by centrifuging the hose'for a few. minutes. It should'be noted here that many manufacturers treat boiled on" hose with a neutral soap solution as a part of the regular manufacturing procedure. In treating such hose according to the present invention, the introfying solution treatment may be dispensed'with in many, cases as the neutral soap treatment has a similar although somewhat less eflicient introfying effect. More uniform results are attained if the introfying treatment is employed whether or notthe hose have beentreated with soap or the like. I

The prepared hose then areimmersed in an aqueous dispersion. of solid, resilient polyisobutylene prepared according to the method of our applications hereinafter identified and preferably containing a conjunctive material and a tack-destroying material as well as other incidental com-v pounding materials. For example, a satisfactory treating dispersion may be preparedby admixing 100 parts by weight of "Vistanex High Molecular Weight" (a resilient solid polymer of isobutylene stated to have an average molecular weight of around 200,000). and 17 parts of pre masticated crude Hevea rubber as a conjunctive material and dispersing the mixture according to the procedure described in our aforementioned applications. There is then preferably added to the dispersion as a tack-destroying material parts by weight of a phenolic resin of the phenol-formaldehyde type such as the emulsiiiable resin furnished by the General Plastics Compamr under z:

the trade designation Durez Resin," or other similar resin which may be dispersed or emulsifled in water. The resin is preliminarily emulsifled in water and added to the dispersion in emulsion form. The dispersion also should contain vulcanizing agents insufficient quantities to vulcanine the rubber conjunctive material present, as well as an age-resistor for .the rubber. Such materials may be added according towell-known rubber dispersion compounding practice. In the illustrative example, the vulcanlzing agents may include 2 parts by weight of sulfur, 3.3 parts of organic accelerator of vulcanization, and 2 parts of zinc oxide. 0.4 part of a commercial age-resistor such as AgeRite White (sym di beta naphthyl-p-phenylene diamine) also should be added. All such compounding materials are added as colloidal dispersions or emulsions according to usual practice. Also, the dispersion may contain added stabilizing agents such as 2.0 parts by weight of phosphotex," a phosphate salt stabilizer. The treating dispersion may contain from 10% to 50% total solids by weight but preferably contains in the neighborhood of to total solids. In many instances, it will be desirable to replace the crude rubber conjunctive material of the foregoing example with polychloroprene or butadiene rubber or similar synthetic rubber or rubber-type material (all within the generic term "a rubber and the corresponding plural term "rubbers as herein employed and as previously indicated) in order to eliminate any trace of natural crude rubber odor and tackiness.

The hose are permitted to remain in the treating dispersion for about seconds after which they quantity of the dispersion in association with the hose in an uncoagulated condition. The hose are passed immediately through tight set rubber covered wringer rolls or otherwise pressed to exare removed together with a considerable press a substantial part of the associated dispersion, and the hose are then conveyed between forceful blasts of compressed air or the like to blow "bridging films from the interstices of the hose fabric. It is importantthat the removal of the excess uncoagulated dispersion be effected before any substantial coagulation has occurred.

Otherwise a non-uniform coating is produced.

The treated hose then are mounted on conventional boarding forms" and are dried for 5 minutes at 150 F. to effect coagulation of the dispersion on the fibers. If desired, the coagulation may be effected by placing the treated hose in a chain.- ber filled with vapors of a coagulant such as formic acid or acetic acid. The coagulated rubberis then vulcanized by heating for 30 minutesat 220 F. Thereafter, the hose are washed in a- 0.5%]

mild soap solution at F.; rinsed in fresh water, centrifuged and again dried. The hose are then dyed according to usual practices unless ore-dyed hose have been treated. 9

The individual yarns and fibers of the treated hose are covered with a coating which is of the order of only 5 microns in thickness (which is understood to include variations of from 3 to" 10 microns unless otherwise indicated). Notwithstanding the extreme thinness of thecoating. the.

lifeand wear characteristics of the hose are improved remarkably and none of theundesirable features ofgprior treatments are presented.

While the detailed procedure hereinabovedescribed'has been developed especially for treating silk, rayon, "nylon" and other sheer knitted hosiery, s bstantially the same procedure may be employed advantageously for treating a variety of textile and other fabric materials. Thus fabrics and other fibrous structures of wool. cotton. silk, glass and synthetic yarns or threads such as nylon and rayon may be treated effectively by the procedure described, or the treatin dispersions may be simply spread, brushed. or transferre d to the fibrous material by a transfer roll. Similarly, many of the features of the hosiery treatment may be applied advantageously to the treatment of the various fibrous materials described in the earlier paragraphs of this specification-All such ap lications and many varia tions in details of the procedures and materials described are within the spirit and scope ,of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

A part of the subject matter herein disclosed is claimed in our concurrently filed application Serial No. 543,488, filed July 4, 1944.

This application is a division Of my co-pending application Serial No. 325,652, filed March 23, 1940, which was a Continuation-in-part of. our earlier co-pending application Serial No. 308,220, filed December 8, 1939 (now U. S. Patent No.

2,194,958, granted March 26, 1940) which, in turn.

age molecular weight not less than substantially 30,000. H p v 2. a compomtion of matter, an aqueous dis persion containing substantial quantities cr a resilient solid high molecular weight polymerization product having parafilnic characteristics prepared bypolymerizing a mono-oleiinof low moiecular weight; a tack-reducing copolymer of bu tadiene and "acrylic nitrile; and natur'alrubber';

the said polymerization product being one having an average molecular weight not less than sub stantia1ly 30,000. a p v 3. Ass composition of matter, an aqueou dispersion containing substantial quantities of a resilientsolid highmolecular weight polymerization product having paraflinic characteristics prepar d by polymerizinga mono-olefin of low mo-- lecular weight; -a tack-reducing copolymer of butadiene and acrylic nitrile; and a'butadiene synthetic rubber other than a copolymer of butadiene and acrylic nitrile; the said polymerization product being one having an average molecular weight notless than substantially 30,000.

4. As a composition of matter, an aqueous dispersion containing substantial quantities of a resilient solid high molecular weight polymerizaan average molecular weight notless than substantially 30,000. i I

,5. As acornposition of matter, an aqueous dispersion containing substantial quantities of a resilient solid high molecular weight polymer of isobutylene having an average molecuiarweight not lessthan substantially 30,000; a tack-reducing copolymer of butadiene and acrylic nitrlle; and a rubber material selected from the class consisting of natural rubber, polychloroprene, reclaimed rubber, and butediene' synthetic rubber other than a copolymer of butadiene and acrylic nltrilef,

6. As a composition of matter, an aqueous dispersion containing substantial quantities of a resilient solid high molecular weight polymer of isobutylene having an average molecular Weight not less than substantially 30,000; naturalrubber; ;;5

and a tack-reducing copolymer of-butadiene and acrylic nitrile.

recent No. 2,575 ,615.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

7. As a compositionof matter, an aqueous dis persion containing substantial quantities of a re- I silient solid high molecular weight polymer of isobutylene having an average molecular weight not less than substantially 30,000; a butadiene synthetic rubber other than a copolymer of buta-.

diene and acrylic nitrile; and a tack-reducing copolymer of butadiene and acrylic nitrile;

8. As a composition-of matter, an aqueousriis persion containing substantial quantities of a re! silient solid high molecular weightpolymer of isobutylene having an average molecular 'weight not less than substantially 30,000; polychloroprene;

anclatack-reducing copolymer of butadiene and acrylic nitrile.

9. Asa composition of matter, an aqueous dispersion containing substantial quantities of a resilient solid high molecular weight polymer of isobutylenehaving an average molecular weight not less than substantially 100,000; a tack-reducing copolymer of butadiene and acrylic nitrile; and a rubber material selected from the class consisting of natural rubber, reclaimed rubber, po1ychloroprene, and butadiene synthetic rubber other than a copolymer of butadiene andacrylic nitrile.

10. As a composition of matter, an aqueous dis- I persion containing substantial quantities of a resilient solid high molecular weight polymer of isobutylene having an'average molecular weight notless than substantially 100,000: natural rubber; and a tack-reducing copolymer of butadiene and acrylic nitrile. 1 11. As a composition of matter, an aqueous dispersion containing substantial quantities of a re-,-.

silient solid high molecular weight polymer of isobutylene having an average molecular weight not less than substantially 100,000; a butadiene synthetic rubber-other than a copolymer; of hutadiene and acrylic nitrile: and a tack-reducing copolymer of butadiene and acrylic nitrile,

12. As a composition of matter, an aqueous dispersion containing substantial quantities of a resilient solidhigh molecular weight'polymer of.

isobutylene having an average molecular weight not less than substantially 100,000 polychloroprene; and a tack-reducing copolymer of butadiene and acrylic nitrile. r

. ANDREW SZEGVARL ADRIAN. H. FEIKERT.

April 10, 19 45.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification or the above column, line for "rubber" tained' read read --r'ubbers--;

numbered patent, requiring correction as follows: Page 1, first 26, tor,"Since"- read --Simi1ar-;and second column, line 55, page 2, second column, line 51-52, for "do- --detai1ed-; lines 56 and 57, for "the manufacturing" read --the usual manufacturing--; and that the said Letters Patent should be ieadwith this correction therein that the same may conform to the record I of the case in the "Patent Office.

Leslie Frazer (Seal) First Assistant Commissioner of Patents.

age molecular weight not less than substantially 30,000. H p v 2. a compomtion of matter, an aqueous dis persion containing substantial quantities cr a resilient solid high molecular weight polymerization product having parafilnic characteristics prepared bypolymerizing a mono-oleiinof low moiecular weight; a tack-reducing copolymer of bu tadiene and "acrylic nitrile; and natur'alrubber';

the said polymerization product being one having an average molecular weight not less than sub stantia1ly 30,000. a p v 3. Ass composition of matter, an aqueou dispersion containing substantial quantities of a resilientsolid highmolecular weight polymerization product having paraflinic characteristics prepar d by polymerizinga mono-olefin of low mo-- lecular weight; -a tack-reducing copolymer of butadiene and acrylic nitrile; and a'butadiene synthetic rubber other than a copolymer of butadiene and acrylic nitrile; the said polymerization product being one having an average molecular weight notless than substantially 30,000.

4. As a composition of matter, an aqueous dispersion containing substantial quantities of a resilient solid high molecular weight polymerizaan average molecular weight notless than substantially 30,000. i I

,5. As acornposition of matter, an aqueous dispersion containing substantial quantities of a resilient solid high molecular weight polymer of isobutylene having an average molecuiarweight not lessthan substantially 30,000; a tack-reducing copolymer of butadiene and acrylic nitrlle; and a rubber material selected from the class consisting of natural rubber, polychloroprene, reclaimed rubber, and butediene' synthetic rubber other than a copolymer of butadiene and acrylic nltrilef,

6. As a composition of matter, an aqueous dispersion containing substantial quantities of a resilient solid high molecular weight polymer of isobutylene having an average molecular Weight not less than substantially 30,000; naturalrubber; ;;5

and a tack-reducing copolymer of-butadiene and acrylic nitrile.

recent No. 2,575 ,615.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

7. As a compositionof matter, an aqueous dis persion containing substantial quantities of a re- I silient solid high molecular weight polymer of isobutylene having an average molecular weight not less than substantially 30,000; a butadiene synthetic rubber other than a copolymer of buta-.

diene and acrylic nitrile; and a tack-reducing copolymer of butadiene and acrylic nitrile;

8. As a composition-of matter, an aqueousriis persion containing substantial quantities of a re! silient solid high molecular weightpolymer of isobutylene having an average molecular 'weight not less than substantially 30,000; polychloroprene;

anclatack-reducing copolymer of butadiene and acrylic nitrile.

9. Asa composition of matter, an aqueous dispersion containing substantial quantities of a resilient solid high molecular weight polymer of isobutylenehaving an average molecular weight not less than substantially 100,000; a tack-reducing copolymer of butadiene and acrylic nitrile; and a rubber material selected from the class consisting of natural rubber, reclaimed rubber, po1ychloroprene, and butadiene synthetic rubber other than a copolymer of butadiene andacrylic nitrile.

10. As a composition of matter, an aqueous dis- I persion containing substantial quantities of a resilient solid high molecular weight polymer of isobutylene having an'average molecular weight notless than substantially 100,000: natural rubber; and a tack-reducing copolymer of butadiene and acrylic nitrile. 1 11. As a composition of matter, an aqueous dispersion containing substantial quantities of a re-,-.

silient solid high molecular weight polymer of isobutylene having an average molecular weight not less than substantially 100,000; a butadiene synthetic rubber-other than a copolymer; of hutadiene and acrylic nitrile: and a tack-reducing copolymer of butadiene and acrylic nitrile,

12. As a composition of matter, an aqueous dispersion containing substantial quantities of a resilient solidhigh molecular weight'polymer of.

isobutylene having an average molecular weight not less than substantially 100,000 polychloroprene; and a tack-reducing copolymer of butadiene and acrylic nitrile. r

. ANDREW SZEGVARL ADRIAN. H. FEIKERT.

April 10, 19 45.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification or the above column, line for "rubber" tained' read read --r'ubbers--;

numbered patent, requiring correction as follows: Page 1, first 26, tor,"Since"- read --Simi1ar-;and second column, line 55, page 2, second column, line 51-52, for "do- --detai1ed-; lines 56 and 57, for "the manufacturing" read --the usual manufacturing--; and that the said Letters Patent should be ieadwith this correction therein that the same may conform to the record I of the case in the "Patent Office.

Leslie Frazer (Seal) First Assistant Commissioner of Patents. 

